How does SLS 3D printing help scoliosis patients?

Scoliosis can be divided into two main categories: Non-structural and Structural. Non-structural refers to temporary scoliosis caused by some reasons, once the cause is removed, it can return to normal, but long-term existence can also develop into structural scoliosis.

There are many causes of structural scoliosis, among which idiopathic scoliosis is the most common, accounting for 75% to 85% of the total, and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common.

C and S forms of scoliosis

The treatment of scoliosis includes surgical treatment and non-surgical treatment, which should be determined according to the degree of spinal deformity, age, trunk balance and other factors. In general, scoliosis angles between 20 and 40 degrees or more than 5 degrees per year in adolescents require conservative treatment. At present, brace therapy is the most commonly used conservative treatment.

The traditional orthosis is generally made by plaster molding, repairing, thermoplastic plate attachment, cutting, polishing and installation of lining ties. Has the advantages of relatively low price and capability of secondary heating and finishing. The disadvantage is that the whole process is relatively cumbersome, the gypsum molding needs the participation of patients, which reduces the experience of patients, and the production efficiency is low. An orthotist can make braces for 3-5 patients a day at most. In addition, traditional orthoses are large in size and difficult to hide, which has a great impact on the normal study and life of adolescents.

Manufacturing process of traditional scoliosis orthosis

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In 2021, the 3D Printing Digital Medical Center was set up in cooperation with Zhongshan Chenxinghai Hospital, relying on TPM3D's laser sintering three-dimensional printing technology, it manufactures customized health care and rehabilitation products to provide precise medical solutions for patients.

Let's take a practical case of Chen Xinghai Hospital to understand how we use 3D printing ?technology to make scoliosis orthosis:

Patient's condition: a 13-year-old girl, thoracic scoliosis 15 °, lumbar scoliosis 23 °, the degree of scoliosis increased year by year.

Treatment: Wear nylon 3D printed scoliosis orthosis.

The process: Firstly, performing three-dimensional scanning on a patient to get her data; Then, to design and modification the model base the require data, so as to ensure the comfort of the patient when wearing and achieve the effect of orthopedics to the maximum extent; The printing and post-processing stages can be arranged after the model is designed. In this case, we usedTPM3D P360 to print, and the general PA12 material Precimid1172Pro is selected. Has good mechanical property and durability, is wear-resistant, fatigue-resistant and durable while exerting enough orthopedic force on a patient, and can be worn by the patient for a long time.

If the size is larger or multiple braces need to be printed at one time, theTPM3D S480 and P550DL devices can be used for printing.

When the orthosis is printed, we treat it with Chemical Vapor Smoothing to make it more smooth, tough, waterproof and dirt-resistant, effectively avoiding the growth of bacteria. Finally, it can be worn after installing the lining and tie. The whole journey takes about 2 days.

Manufacturing process of 3D printing scoliosis orthosis

Through the patient's X-ray, it can be seen that the patient's thoracic spine has been improved to 9 degrees, lumbar spine has been improved to 11 degrees, the correction rate of lateral curvature has exceeded 50%, vertebral body rotation, pelvic deviation and other phenomena have been improved, and the overall correction effect is ideal.

Radiographs of patients before and after wearing orthosis